Daniels signs 1-year deal with Celtics worth $2.5 million

Tuesday

Marquis Daniels took a substantial pay cut last summer when he joined the Boston Celtics as a free agent.

Marquis Daniels took a substantial pay cut last summer when he joined the Boston Celtics as a free agent.

After the Indiana Pacers didn’t pick up the $7.3 million option to close out a six-year, $38 million contract, Daniels signed with the Celtics for the $1.99 million bi-annual exception.

He was hoping to make a strong contribution to a championship contender, paving the way for a lucrative contract in the summer of 2010.

Things didn’t go the way Daniels planned, however, as he failed to make much of an impact with the Celtics.

He underwent surgery to repair a torn left thumb ligament on Dec. 9 and was sidelined for 28 games before returning in early February.

Daniels never got comfortable, though, and was replaced in the rotation by Tony Allen in March.

His playing time dwindled, and Daniels was a non-factor in the playoffs, getting into only 11 games and averaging just 3.4 minutes.

The chances seemed remote that Daniels would be returning to the Celtics in the 2010-11 season, but circumstances changed in recent weeks.

Allen left via free agency to play for the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Celtics have been unable to attract any wing players for their bench.

As a result, Daniels and the Celtics will give it another try next season.

The team announced on Monday that Daniels has signed a one-year deal which was agreed to last week. The 29-year-old Daniels will earn $2.5 million, a slight increase from a year ago.

In his first season with the Celtics, Daniels appeared in 51 games, averaging 5.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 18.4 minutes.

The Celtics were planning on Daniels and Rasheed Wallace being a one-two punch off the bench, but Wallace was inconsistent during the regular season and Daniels had to deal with his thumb injury.

Daniels played sparingly once Allen cemented a spot in the rotation, and he got into one game in the opening round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat and played just 18 minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round.

A concussion suffered in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Orlando Magic limited Daniels’ time the rest of the postseason.

With Allen gone, the Celtics are going to need a better season from Daniels, who right now figures to be the first wing player off the bench.

The starting lineup on opening nights should be Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O’Neal (filling in for the injured Kendrick Perkins).

Second-round pick Luke Harangody has yet to sign a contract and the future of Wallace remains unresolved, though it is likely he will retire with the Celtics attempting to trade his contract for another player.

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